Dec 09/16

Well, winter has come with a vengeance. After a very warm November, we have had a blizzard for the past two and a half days. Initially it was warm (-2 to -5), but last night it has gone down to -20, and the forecast is for even colder. We got around 30 cm of snow, more in the places where the wind dropped (like bush). Thank goodness for moccasins!

It's interesting to see the river freeze up. As the blizzard began, the river was mostly open, but there were 5 to 10 m. blocks of ice starting to float down it. Today, after a cold night, most of the river alongside Churchill drive is frozen, albeit thinly. I'm assuming with several days of sub -20 temps that it will freeze over pretty fast, though not enough to walk on for a month or so.

At the start of the storm, I was down along the river, and saw a bird that resembled a Northern Shrike. I couldn't get close enough to it to make a good id, but it was the right size and shape for it. Probably a late straggler, fooled by the warm weather, then suddenly having to head south. Hope it makes it ok. Today, in the cold, not much was out and about. Saw some tracks alongside the river that may have been wild (deer, probably), but there were no winter birds about.

Posted on Δεκέμβριος 09, 2016 0847 ΜΜ by mamestraconfigurata